35+ Musicals Set in Prison – The Full List of Shows
Looking for musicals set or partially set behind bars? These musicals set in prison or jail explore confinement and redemption through stories that range from gritty and dramatic to darkly comedic.
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Musicals Set in Prison
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Creators: Jill Santoriello
Imprisoned Character: Charles Darnay
Musical Type: Jazz Age (1934)
Creators: Cole Porter, Guy Bolton, P.G. Wodehouse, Howard Lindsay, and Russel Crouse
Imprisoned Characters: Billy, Moonface, Ching, and Ling
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Creators: Kath Gotts, Maureen Chadwick, and Ann McManus
Imprisoned Characters: Multiple
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Creators: Frank Wildhorn, Don Black, and Ivan Menchell
Imprisoned Characters: Clyde and Buck
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Creators: Jule Styne, Bob Merrill, and Isobel Lennart
Imprisoned Character: Nick Arnstein
Musical Type: Contemporary (2013)
Creators: David Byrne and Fatboy Slim
Imprisoned Characters: Estrella and Ninoy
Musical Type: Golden Age (1956)
Creators: Marguerite Monnot, Alexandre Breffort, Julian More, David Heneker, and Monty Norman
Imprisoned Characters: Nestor-Le-Fripe and Others
Musical Type: Golden Age (1959)
Creators: Todd Matshikiza, Pat Williams, and Harry Bloom
Imprisoned Character: King Kong
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1992)
Creators: John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Terrence McNally
Imprisoned Characters: Molina and Valentin
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1980)
Creators: Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer, and Jean-Marc Natel
Imprisoned Characters: Jean Valjean and Others
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)
Creators: Mitch Leigh, Joe Darion, and Dale Wasserman
Imprisoned Characters: Cervantes, Sancho, and Others
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1999)
Creators: Michael John LaChiusa
Imprisoned Character: Marie Christine
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1993)
Creators: George Stiles, Paul Leigh, and Claire Luckham
Imprisoned Character: Moll Flanders
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Creators: Madness and Tim Firth
Imprisoned Character: Joe Casey
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1998)
Creators: Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry
Imprisoned Character: Leo Frank
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1963)
Creators: Cyril Ornadel, Leslie Bricusse, and Wolf Mankowitz
Imprisoned Characters: Pickwick and Weller
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1965)
Creators: Al Carmines and María Irene Fornés
Imprisoned Characters: 105 and 106
Musical Type: Contemporary (2022)
Creators: Shaina Taub
Imprisoned Characters: Multiple
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1998)
Creators: Paul Simon and Derek Walcott
Imprisoned Character: Salvador Agrón
Musical Type: Contemporary (2009)
Creators: Frank Wildhorn and Jack Murphy
Imprisoned Characters: Dantes and Faria
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1993)
Creators: Martin Silvestri and Joel Higgins
Imprisoned Characters: Multiple
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1970)
Creators: Nancy Ford and Gretchen Cryer
Imprisoned Characters: Isaac and Alice
Musical Type: Contemporary (2006)
Creators: Claude-Michel Schönberg, John Dempsey, Alain Boublil, and Richard Maltby, Jr.
Imprisoned Characters: Grace and Tiernan
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Creators: Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
Imprisoned Characters: Max, Leo, and Franz
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1997)
Creators: Frank Wildhorn and Nan Knighton
Imprisoned Characters: Armand and Marguerite
Musical Type: Contemporary (2010)
Creators: John Kander, Fred Ebb, and David Thompson
Imprisoned Characters: Multiple
Musical Type: Contemporary (2001)
Creators: James Valcq and Fred Alley
Imprisoned Character: Percy Talbott
Musical Type: Contemporary (2015)
Creators: Preston Max Allen
Imprisoned Character: Mattie Wheeler
Musicals Set in Jail
Musical Type: Contemporary (2012)
Creators: Steven Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman
Jailed Character: Monty Navarro
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Creators: Joe DiPietro and Others
Jailed Character: Chad
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1975)
Creators: John Kander, Fred Ebb, and Bob Fosse
Jailed Characters: Multiple
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Creators: Adam Schlesinger, David Javerbaum, Mark O’Donnell, and Thomas Meehan
Jailed Characters: Cry-Baby and Others
Musical Type: Contemporary (2004)
Creators: David Friedman and Peter Kellogg
Jailed Character: Johnny Blood
Musical Type: Contemporary (2005)
Creators: Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens
Jailed Character: Dessa Rose
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Creators: Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Mark O’Donnell, and Thomas Meehan
Jailed Character: Tracy Turnblad
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1964)
Creators: Jack Lawrence, Stan Freeman, and Jerome Chodorov
Jailed Character: Garside
Musical Type: Post-Golden Age (1968)
Creators: Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice
Jailed Character: Joseph
Musical Type: Contemporary (2007)
Creators: Nell Benjamin, Laurence O’Keefe, and Heather Hach
Jailed Character: Brooke Wyndham
Musical Type: Contemporary (2019)
Creators: Joe Iconis
Detained Characters (Juvie): Multiple
Musical Type: Late 20th Century (1990)
Creators: Cy Coleman, Ira Gasman, and David Newman
Jailed Character: Queen
Musical Type: Contemporary (2021)
Creators: Marc Teitler and Nancy Harris
Jailed Character: The Elephant
Musical Type: Contemporary (2002)
Creators: Jeanine Tesori, Dick Scanlan, and Richard Morris
Jailed Character: Jimmy Smith